Harmonizing with the Dartmouth Subtleties: An Insider Interview
For this week's blog post, I decided to sit down with my friend, Eliza Miller '26, and talk about her time in the Subtleties, which is one of Dartmouth's female acapella groups on campus. If you've been wondering about social avenues at this school, keep reading!
Q: What's it like being in the Subs (short for Subtleties)?
A: Honestly, it's such a wonderful community where you feel like you've found some of your absolute closest friends. I really appreciate that the Subtleties is a primarily female space (welcoming to non-binary members), but the fact that it has no men makes it feel like a really comfortable avenue. Because of that, beyond just the singing, which is a big part of it, there's such a strong sense of community.
Q: Has it played a big part in your Dartmouth social life?
A: Without a doubt. Some of the '23s I looked upto a lot in the Subs last year informed my decision about where I wanted to rush. Also, when you just come into college your first-year fall and are anxious about making friends and super overwhelmed, it's really nice to have an automatic in-built community where all of you share this one interest. I honestly made some of my first actual friends at Dartmouth in the Subs.
Q: You've talked a lot about the strong sense of 'community' within the Subs? Does this exist among the greater acapella community at Dartmouth?
A: Totally. Every fall, we have something called acaformal (which sounds super dumb and arbitrary, but it's honestly just a super fun night where all the acapella groups come together and just chill). Also, whenever my friends are performing at frats, I'm there to cheer them on, because I know they'd do the same for me. We also have other social events with all the groups, and it just fosters a super strong relationship among all of us.
Q: Do you have any advice for first-years who are going to be trying out for acapella in the fall?
A: Two words—do it! The acapella process at Dartmouth involves trying out for every group. That sounds so terrifying, but I'm glad that happens. Going into it, I had no idea where I wanted to end up, so if I hadn't auditioned for every single group, I wouldn't have found where I wanted to be. So, advice? Let the process guide you, give each audition your all, and focus on whether or not you can picture yourself with this specific community for four years and eight hours each week. Best of luck!
Let me know if there are any other student groups on campus you'd like to hear from! I'd be happy to interview them for you :)